


in a different point of view

by joshriku



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshriku/pseuds/joshriku
Summary: [W2D3] Beat and Joshua are partners for the week. Except, nobody told Beat he was partnered up with such achicken!
Relationships: Bito "Beat" Daisukenojo & Kiryu "Joshua" Yoshiya
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	in a different point of view

**Author's Note:**

> roleswap au where beat and neku swap places so beat can be joshua's partner in the 2nd week. a roundabout way of saying that "i want joshua and beat to have conversations and i did not know how to come up with something like that post-canon bc i already wrote One and i cant just write that Again"

“No mission today, huh,” Beat says to Joshua.

His new partner is—well, he’s… certainly a character. Beat’s never been the best there is at reading people, but this new partner he got was another world entirely. Which is fine, if he really truly thinks about it—he’s met weirder people in school. So what? He’s a little annoying and talks in riddles. That’s just how half of his class was. 

“Certainly seems to be the case,” Joshua twirls his hair a little. He always begins the day already standing up, which is a lot more graceful than Beat’s ten-minute-get-up routine where he stretches and groans eternally. “Any theories you may have regarding this? It is rather odd that it’s been two days without a mission.”

“Yeah, well, ‘snot like we get any freer,” Beat murmurs. “Seems like everyone’s needin’ help these days. Man, it freakin’ stinks! No one can do anythin’ themselves here?!”

Joshua giggles. He does that a lot—giggling. Beat has given up figuring out if he’s doing it to look cool and mysterious or if everything is funny to him.

“Helping people is such a pain, isn’t it?” Joshua says. “Endlessly helping others without getting a reward or payback. Why even bother, isn’t that right?”

He did that often, too. Beat could say the most innocent shit and Joshua would somehow turn it into a weird rant that always ended...strangely. He rubs his neck. “Hey, now, I didn’ mean it like that.”

“Hmm? How did you mean it, then?”

“First of all, helpin’ people jus’ cause you expect them to reward you is stupid as hell. Y’should just help people for the sake of it. Sure… a reward is nice but what are they gon’ do for us, huh? Not like they can win us the Game.”

“Maybe so,” Joshua waves his hand, signaling the end of the conversation. “Anyhow, I have an errand to run. Since there’s no mission, would you mind going with me to Cat Street?”

“Cat Street?” Beat tilts his head. “Thas’ on the other side of town. You sure?”

“Not putting up a fight?”

“Yo, it’s either goin’ wichu or sittin’ here overthinkin’ to erasure. I’ll take the walk, thanks.”

Joshua laughs. “Excellent point. Let’s get going.”

“Race you til there?”

“Oh, no, thanks. I don’t really do any sweating.”

“Oooooh, I see. I got partnered up with a freakin’ _wuss._ A _chicken_.”

“Heh, please. I’m well above your childish taunts.”

“Whatchu say? All I hear is _cluuuuuuuuck. Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluuuuuuuuuuck_ —”

Joshua frowns. “Knock it off. Are you twelve?”

“ _Cluuuuuuuck—_ ”

It’s a little funny, pushing Joshua’s buttons and seeing how far he’s going to go. Beat starts running, and while Joshua says he doesn’t care, every time Beat turns around Joshua is right behind him. Huh! It hurts being a chicken!

* * *

“Seems like our prince is at a crossroad,” Joshua comments. “How interesting.”

“Thas’ messed up, yo. He said he doesn’t wanna post stuff he don’t believe in. We shud side with him.”

“Even if we do, what will that accomplish?” he wonders. “Think about it, Beat. Certainly, that is asking a lot from you—”

“Shut your trap.”

“—but ultimately, this decision lies on him. Aren’t people quick to change? You blink and they do a complete 180. Should we not expect the same from the Prince here?”

“...I guess,” Beat deflates. “‘M worried, that’s all.”

“But why? As far as I know, you don’t even know him.”

God, things were always _one_ or _another_ with Joshua. Who needed to know someone on a deeply personal level to care for them? 

“Yeah, sure, I don’t know him. Doesn’t mean I don’t sympathize with him!” Beat exclaims. “Been there before, y’know’ Bein’ forced to be somethin’ you don’t want to be. Following orders. I hate that crap, man. Nobody should go through it.”

“My, what a surprise. You? Doesn’t fit your character to follow orders.”

“Right. My folks hated that. They just wanted me to follow their rules, y’know? Always bitchin’ at me to get better grades, try to get into a great university, comparing me to Rhyme—getting on my business every five freaking seconds. It’s tiring, yo.”

“And what did you do? What was _your_ hang-up that didn’t let you follow orders?”

“...I had nothing, man,” Beat sighs. Not the kind of topic he’d like to tackle with Joshua on an ordinary day. “No dreams. No motivations. Just followin’ along.”

“Like sheep,” Joshua supplies. “Maybe all of Shibuya is like that.”

“Yo, I ain’t sheep. Watch it,” Beat shoves him lightly, but Joshua legitimately stumbles forward. Oops. “I dunno what’s the rush with figuring out everythin’. I woulda figured it out, eventually. Heh. Have to be alive first to do it, right.”

“What was it, again? That street artist’s motto? _“Do what you want, how you want, when you want it._ ”

“Yeah. CAT’s right about that,” Beat says. “You a CAT fan?”

“Me? No, no. I just know about him. Are you?”

“Who _doesn’t_ like CAT, yo? ‘Course I am.” 

“Of course,” Joshua repeats, smirking. “Well, it was fun to learn about you. We should head back to Dogenzaka.”

“Aight. On it, man,” Beat pauses before moving, though. “Hey. Thanks for… not making fun of me, and stuff.”

“For opening up about human struggles? Please. Iʼm not cruel.”

“Yeah, yʼknow, Iʼm just—self-conscious and all. Yʼknow. Anyway. Letʼs keep moving!” 

“Iʼm walking already.”

“Then move your ass faster! God! You a grandma, Josh?” 

* * *

“Hey, that was a nice ending to that,” Beat says. “And the ramen was pretty good!” 

“Yes, it truly tasted marvelous,” Joshua agrees. “It put me in a thoughtful mood. Did you see that man back there, helplessly trying to change what he has always known—only to follow a trend? To not be left behind? Maybe Shibuya is like that now. Maybe everyone changes themselves to follow hollow trends—to not be left behind. After all, we live in a community. We have to play by its rules—including the unspoken rules where we change ourselves to fit in.”

“... Man,” Beat rubs his neck, then slaps Joshuaʼs shoulder a little. “So stuck-up, yo. I donʼ think thas all right. Sure, we change so we can fit sometimes. But yʼknow… Shibuyaʼs filled with all kinds of folks. Ya might even find someone who agrees with that crap!” 

Joshua laughs sarcastically. “It was not _crap,_ thank you very much.”

“You right. It ainʼt. ʼM sayinʼ—Shibuya's colorful and huge. Impossible to generalize them all. Everyoneʼs just trying to find their place in the world, yʼknow? Canʼt blame 'em for trying to fit in and not fit in. Test and trial, yo.”

“I guess you meant trial and error.”

Beat flushes. “Yeah, whatever, _that!”_

Joshua giggles. “Well, who knows? Maybe youʼre right,” he pauses and adds. “Would you look at the time!” 

“And still no mission, huh. Race you to the scramble?” 

“Why would I ever say yes?” 

“Cluck. Cluck c—” 

Joshua groans loudly. “Fine. _Fine._ But no more races until the end of the week.”

“Sounds good, man!” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> here are actual notes for the au because i do like it. eventually ill maybe even write about it! crazy
> 
> \- nekubeat swap places but neku is still joshua's proxy. neku's playing with his Unnamed Best Friend That Dies in the first week, thing is he doesnt remember neku like. beat and rhyme situation. and neku becomes a reaper yadda yadda then wants to take on the composer to bring back his friend yadda yadda  
> \- rhyme doesnt die can we let her live for once  
> \- shiki is indeed beats partner in the first week.. best friends  
> \- i was in the shower and i was like Huh i wonder if the final showdown would even matter bc neku wouldnt have a deep bond w joshua and technically killing the composer would help him get his friend back and i was like Woah damn we r getting kinda heavy here! then i was like Eh nevermind he probably wouldnt do it out of the goodness of his heart and the game would end the same
> 
> the end. tjank you for reading. happy anime premiere tomorrow :D
> 
> [tumblr](http://joshriku.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/joshriku/)  
> 


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